A 90-minute rain delay and a desperate New York Yankees squad determined to extend their season one more game didn’t deter the Houston Astros from securing their fourth American League (AL) pennant in six years.
The top-seeded Astros eked out a 6-5 road win over the Yankees in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) on Sunday to earn a return trip to the World Series, as well as completed their second straight sweep of the postseason.
Per a report on the Astros’ website, it’s third-year manager Dusty Baker’s third overall trip to the Fall Classic.
"These are the greatest guys that I ever been around, I'm telling you," Baker said in the report. "They come to play every day, all day."
Inclement weather in the New York City area raised doubts that Game 4 would start on time or even be played at all on Sunday.
Major League Baseball (MLB) officials met with both ballclubs to discuss the situation, eventually deciding to push first pitch from 6:07 p.m. (7:07 p.m. Eastern) to 7:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. Eastern).
It was the second time in a week in which a game’s fate hinged on the weather.
The Astros began the night behind 2-0 after the Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres each delivered a runs batted in (RBI) single in the first inning.
In the second inning, Anthony Rizzo tacked on an RBI double to give the hosts a 3-0 advantage.
Rookie shortstop and ALCS Most Valuable Player (MVP) Jeremy Peña launched a three-shot home run (HR) to knot the contest and first baseman Yuli Gurriel gave the visitors their first lead with an RBI single in the third inning.
The game then took on the ambiance of a tense chess match as two more ties and two more lead changes occurred.
According to the Astros’ website, a botched double play in the seventh inning set the tone for Houston’s late rally, with left fielder Yordan Alvarez capitalizing on the costly Yankees mistake with a swat to knot it at five followed by third baseman Alex Bregman’s hit that scored and gave the guests the lead for good.
In what could be perceived as a defining moment in the budding rivalry between the Astros and the Yankees, reliever Ryan Pressly retired New York’s Aaron Judge to help Houston achieve a back-to-back ALCS triumph.
“THE HOUSTON ASTROS ARE HEADED TO THE WORLD SERIES!” the team proclaimed in a postgame tweet.
The upcoming Fall Classic pits Houston against the Philadelphia Phillies, who captured the National League (NL) pennant earlier in the day.
The best-of-seven playoff to determine MLB’s champion will begin at Minute Maid Park on Friday.